A netnographic research on brand loyalty: The case of Apple

Innovations in technology cause some changes in consumers and market environment. With these changes, similar products of brands are offered to consumers at prices close to each other. If similar products are sold at similar prices, competition occurs in the market environment. Brands in competition with each other aim to increase their sales by differentiating their products in order to get ahead of their competitors. In order to achieve this goal, a real brand loyalty must be formed between the brand and consumers. In case of brand loyalty, the brand owner is one step ahead in marketing, sales and profit against its competitors in the market. Determining which factors play a leading role in the processes of creating brand loyalty is important for companies in the creation and renewal processes of marketing strategies. Brand loyalty is complex and varies according to different characteristics in different periods. This event brings along the necessity of examining how consumers' brand loyalty is formed in a multidimensional sector such as the technology sector, which has a large share in the expenditures of individuals in their lives. The research will be conducted in the technology sector where competition is extremely high. The aim of the research is to determine how brand loyalty occurs for the Apple brand in the technology sector. Consumer comments on the Apple brand, which will be examined within the scope of the research, were selected from www.donanimhaber.com. The research was conducted to determine the factors that constitute brand loyalty through netnographic method and to determine the factors that affect brand loyalty positively or negatively. Since the research will be conducted through user experiences and evaluations, it is aimed to contribute to those who create marketing strategies to improve themselves. In line with this purpose, five hypotheses about brand loyalty for Apple brand users were created in the research and important factors affecting brand loyalty were evaluated. With the hypotheses formed, positive and negative product experiences of consumers were evaluated in terms of brand loyalty and in this context, it is seen that a real brand loyalty consists of continuous purchasing behaviour and positive attitudes. As a result of the factors evaluated in the hypotheses, it was determined that brand loyalty was formed in users. Keywords: Brand, Brand Loyalty, Netnography, User Experience.